Chapter 11: Atlas
A/N: GME distracted me, so I'm about a week late. Enjoy!
Edit: Apparently, height seems to be an issue. I'm going to say that I did not follow the 'official heights' from CRWBY because in that case, they are either NBA players or far below average with no in between. Glynda, who is apparently 6 feet fucking 6 inches tall, is barely shorter than James 'the big man' Ironwood, who is only shorter than Junior and Hazel, who is practically measured in yards. Ironwood is WAY taller than Glynda. Watch some clips from Season 3. They're not even close. Not even remotely. So I can either go off numbers, which would be fantastic if they were accurate, or I could go off what seems reasonable from either eyeballing or someone else's research. Take a bit of both, and you have a shorter Glynda who can still grow or wear heels. Not a terrible issue, in my opinion.
Either way, thank you for the discussion and raising your concerns. I appreciate it and would love to discuss others!
Chapter 11 START
The Kingdom of Atlas, recently renamed from the Kingdom of Mantle after the great war, was primarily known for being at the forefront of technology in all of the Kingdoms. A direct correlated fact was its absurd amount of Dust available through mining that practically fueled the entire world as well as its military force rumored to be the most powerful of the four Kingdoms.
Due to its location in the north, which was surrounded by mountains and difficult terrain, it was relatively safe from the attacks of Grimm. However, its location, which provided safety, was a double-edged sword in its early years. The kingdom had difficulty with self-sustainability, as the rough and rocky terrain made it utterly impossible to sate the entire Kingdom's needs of food entirely on its own. In fact, quite a few times in history, Mantle almost failed to survive when the winters were rough and the crops bearings were lacking. At these times, they would turn to their neighbors for help, but travel was difficult before the bullheads were common and Atlas pushed the world forward in a new era of technology.
But as a people, the people of Mantle always managed to persevere, surviving through the harsh winters and making it to the bountiful days when crops were in full glow. They were a hardened group, and their mentality had grown calluses to the environment that they chose as their home. In a way, their mentality would be most similar to that of Vacuo's populace in the desert. In two different extremes, both groups had their fair shares of difficulties, but triumphed all the same due to their dogged determination to survive and not bow down to Mother Nature.
After the Great War and the following attacks by Grimm, the capital was moved from Mantle to Atlas. After all, the Academy and the majority of the wealthier, and thus more influential, individuals were further northeast at Atlas. The army was stationed around the Capital, and the Kingdom generally found their peace post-war.
Because of necessity, the people in the northern regions of Remnant utilized technology and knowledge as a means to survive. Dust powering tools, airliners, bullheads, ships, whatever one could see. Dust became so ingrained in the daily life of the Kingdom's people that it was everywhere one could look. The Schnee Dust Company, or SDC as it was more commonly referred to in general conversation, was the most famous of the Dust supply companies. It was a large corporation that was related to Dust, and it kept the world running with its supply.
Naruto hummed as he read over the files that Glynda that forwarded him that morning. "Nicholas Schnee..." he muttered. Founder of the SDC, he was one of the most powerful individuals that he would have to meet during his stay at Atlas. He had an immaculate record and was known for his trustworthy nature, which meshed well with his charisma which drew people like in gravity. An angular chin and jaw, with eyes set with sharp, yet a heartwarming visage that roped people into his circle within the first meeting. From the profile, Naruto could recognize the broad shoulders, no doubt earned from years of training.
It had taken the man decades to get to where he was, but with his never-give-up attitude, he made the meager inheritance he had received from his father into the pile of gold he had now. A huntsman and a witty individual with the capability of leadership in both battle and the market. Naruto assumed the man probably had politics down perfectly as well.
He swiped the screen, and it showed a picture of a girl. "Willow Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." The only child that Nicholas Schnee had, Willow looked young and happy in the photo. Long white hair that wrapped around her left shoulder, her neon blue eyes shone with innocence. An innocence of that had never seen strife or difficulty in life. She smiled in the photo, accentuating her beauty. She was absolutely beautiful, and he couldn't say otherwise.
Naruto smiled. Perhaps in another life, he would have been upset at how unfair the odds were that some were born to suffer, while others that were born to never see any hardship in life. But that's simply how life was, and what he could do was help those were down on their luck.
Naruto read the information that Glynda had dumped onto him before flipping to the final document. The newest general of the Atlesian fleet as well as Headmaster to Atlas Academy, General Ironwood couldn't be any older than twenty-five. And yet, he was so accomplished as a strategist and a Huntsman, he had risen the ranks quickly in the army and had become General in only a matter of years. The position of headmaster was given to him soon after when the former headmaster decided to step away from the position and passed it on to Ironwood. As a result, the young man had two seats in the Council.
Naruto hummed at that last tidbit of knowledge. Two seats in the Council out of five. That was...probably not the best practice, but who was he to say anything. To give any single person power was to give them a chance to fall to their vices. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. He knew this, and he was able to stay on his course of righteousness because he knew what it meant to fall away. It mattered not; he would think about that after he had met everyone that was necessary.
Looking out the window from his room, Naruto could see that Atlas was a towering mass of metal. Man made buildings, each a pinnacle of human innovation and ego, so tall that it could burst above the clouds, stood tall side by side in hundreds of rows, each of their windows reflecting the light from the sun. In between the buildings, Dust-assisted technology floated in the air. They floated at all levels in the air, but they were well-organized, flying at specific heights and following the streets hundreds of feet below.
Someone knocked on the door. "Are you prepared, Professor?" Glynda asked. Naruto kept staring at the feats of technology just beyond the glass window pane.
"I am." He stood and opened the door. Glynda smiled.
"You dressed up."
"I really rather would not have, you know?" He frowned at himself when he added on the last phrase, something Glynda caught onto. Her smile widened.
"I haven't heard you say that in a while." Naruto crossed his arms and almost pouted. He was dressed in a light blue leather button down with an insignia of Vale resting on his left breast. A white coat on top that dressed down to his knees, and white pants, with white dress shoes to made him feel extremely uncomfortable. It's not that the clothes were uncomfortable - at that, they were made perfectly tailored for him, and it felt amazing. It was the way it looked on him.
It was far too formal.
"I don't like this," he muttered, looking down at himself.
"You could always wear your usual get up. Discard the outfit made to show the peace between Vale and Atlas. I don't think you have any clothes that are blue and white to signify Atlas." Naruto groaned when Glynda said the truth, and her smile reached her eyes. "Too much orange, red, and black in your wardrobe, wouldn't you say?"
He looked at her through a lens of despair, then sighed and moved passed her. "Did we go through the checkpoint?"
"The Atlesians stopped out bullhead to check our tag and the passengers, but have let us through. Our next stop will be the docking station at Atlas Academy. We'll be there in ten minutes."
"Perfect," he said, grinning with a prankster's glint in his eyes. "I could change into my preferred clothing within that time."
Glynda frowned down at the slightly shorter blond. He was growing and was only a quarter foot shorter than she was, but he was still shorter. Crossing her arms, she cleared her throat into a closed fist. Naruto let out a boo and walked over to the main cabin. Inside, the rest of the students were all awaiting the chance to arrive at the dock and stand on solid ground. Five days of being on a bullhead, even one as large as this, took the light out of one's day and made everything bland.
"I'm sure you all already know, but we'll be landing in ten minutes." Every student looked to Naruto, and he put his hands into his coat's pockets, which were much deeper than he had expected. "I want to emphasize something before we go in - two things, actually. One," he said, raising his index finger. "Do not do anything that I wouldn't do." The fourth years snickered. That left a lot of activities open to them, apparently. Naruto raised another finger. "Secondly, I believe that the attack on us the first day of our flight was not a simple coincidence."
The atmosphere in the bullhead was ice cold in a flash. Naruto's smile was dead, and his eyes held little regard for empathy. It wasn't for the students, but it was because that his students were threatened that he felt anger. It didn't bleed into his words, but his stillness and calm tone was vocal enough to state how turbulent the rage was inside of him. "Not all of you saw, but there was an eye that, I have reason to believe, leading the Grimm straight towards us."
Glynda whirled on him, but Naruto held his hand up to stop her outburst. "We aren't in Vale anymore. We need to protect each other and ourselves, even if we are in a Kingdom that is said to be our friend. Stick with each other and make sure all of your are accounted for when I am not present. And," he pointed at Glynda, "no matter what, if you feel that same presence, do not hesitate to let me know. If things happen twice, it will surely happen a third time."
Each of them were thoughtfully holding their silence, recalling the night when the horde of Nevermore attacked their bullhead. Naruto closed his eyes, recalling the feeling that had invaded every passengers' senses, fraying their mental and disturbing their emotional equivalence.
"It's simply a precaution," he said, realizing that the group's mood had dropped. "It's unlikely that they will attack, but I want you all to be aware even when you are enjoying yourselves in Atlas." He stepped back and pulled Glynda with him.
She leaned in. "What is this, Professor?"
He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, legs shoulder width apart as he spoke silently. "You know that thing looked right at you." It wasn't framed as a question. Glynda held her silence for a moment, then nodded. "I want you to be especially careful." Naruto looked out the window and down, where Mantle sat below the newly crowned Capital of Atlas. It laid there with smog and a hue of gray overcast, a stark contrast from the bright white and neon lights that glowed with fervor in Atlas above.
"I understand."
"Good."
Atlas Academy sat upon the highest hill in Atlas, and the Headmaster's Office was at the very peak of the academy. Similar to Vale's Beacon Academy, there were separate buildings, but Atlas seemed more inclined to build vertically, setting much of their space through height. Craning his neck upward, Naruto was hardly able to see the top of the academy through the window.
Soon enough, the bullhead landed in front of the academy in a docking station. There were quite a few bullheads there, mostly painted white with clean blue streaks to represent the colors of Atlas. Their gray and black sat boringly in the port, but stood out due to the color contrast.
The door on the side of the bullhead hissed as it opened, and the smell of fresh air blasted in with a soft breeze. Naruto blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the unblemished brightness and then stepped out. The students followed behind in a single file line, each eyeing the architecture and the city.
"Finally, we're free to walk on land again!" Icar threw his arms in the air, stretching his back with his eyes shut and face to the sky. Nex instinctively moved away when the arms almost hit his head. The movement looked practiced, as if this was a common occurrence. When no one said anything of the interaction and Nex simply hummed and walked beside Icar again once his arms were down, it all seemed natural to the point it may as well have been a common occurrence.
"We're still here to learn," Keith said softly.
Crystal bounced up to him. "Don't be like that. Look around! We're so high up and the sun is shining down on us!" She was absolutely on cloud nine on top of her bubbly personality.
Glynda suddenly coughed into a closed fist, and every student fell back in line in an instant. After a second, they all saw why. A tall man with clean, polished edges was walking towards them. Black hair combed back and thin lips on a face that couldn't have seen more than twenty five years. Broad shoulders with straight lines down to his muscular build, covered in all white. A long coat of white that extended to his knees, much like Naruto's coat, and white pants that was cuffed at the ankles. The sharply dressed man was no doubt the Headmaster of Atlas Academy and General of the Atlesian Fleet.
"Welcome to Atlas Academy and to the capital of our Kingdom," Ironwood said formally, no pomp and all business in his tone. Naruto grinned and stepped forward with a hand out. They shook firmly. "Is Ozpin coming later?"
"Thank you for meeting us!" He clasped both hands on Ironwood's. "I look forward to our stay here. Sadly, Ozpin has chosen to stay at Beacon and send me in his place." Naruto sensed the disappointment, but he didn't even need to feel it. The shift in the man in front of him was obvious. The change in posture, the way his arm gripped slightly tighter, all of it was quite telling.
"I hope to be as hospitable as you expect us to be." Ironwood looked behind Naruto and at the six students. "You brought quite a few extra guests."
Naruto let go of the general's hand and smiled sheepishly. He had been told to bring two students at most, but had taken on six. It had been a suggestion, however, and not a deliberate order or a command. So Naruto took the liberty of adding on four more students.
"I was told to bring the students that I am most confident in. It would be an insult to the others if I didn't bring the ones I believed in simply because I was told a specific number. I trust each and every one of the students I brought along with me to be upstanding and professional."
The general's eyes hardly changed at Naruto's confident words.
"The more, the merrier." He didn't seem to believe his own words. "Now, follow me." The general of Atlas turned around and the seven from vale were lead inside of the main building of Atlas Academy.
Wide was probably the first way to describe the interior of the building. The hallways were large, with enough space to allow tens of students to walk through the main corridor. A long, white passage with blue hues originating from the lights stuck onto the walls gave the halls a destitute tone with its emptiness. Devoid of students and of any person at the moment, it was easy to presume that classes were in session.
Smooth and polished, each face of the wall was cut to perfection. With no blemishes and only a professional's touch on each single grain of the building, Naruto couldn't help but admire the work that was done on this masterpiece. It really was nothing less than a marvel. To create a tall, and equally expansive, project that could house thousands of individuals in a comfortable and refined building took no less than an artisan's pride and top of the line skill.
Falling out of line, Naruto walked over to one of the walls and ran his hand across it. Cool and metallic.
"This is amazing."
"Yes. I see it everyday, but it never ceases to amaze." Naruto turned and saw Ironwood waiting for him to rejoin the group. "There's much more for you to see, especially if you think this is impressive."
Naruto rejoined the group and stood next to Ironwood rather than behind. The general gave him a raised eyebrow but walked forward nonetheless. After a few minutes of walking, taking a few turns here and there, Naruto had dealt with the silence enough. He breathed in sharply, then said, "Say, General Ironwood. You were expecting Ozpin to come instead of me, weren't you?"
Ironwood showed no signs of surprise, but Naruto could feel the shift in emotion. The blond inwardly grinned, but kept his expression collected.
"I'm not sure what gave you that idea. I was simply told from Ozpin that I was to expect a group of students."
"I'm not a student," Naruto said, slightly miffed. Ironwood eyed Naruto and nodded idly. "You don't believe me."
"I have heard of you, Naruto Uzumaki. You're the combat instructor that Ozpin hired last year. Why he did something so reckless, I'm not sure."
Naruto paused in thought, mentally rearing and holding himself back from lashing out with a snarky comment. That last bit was hardly called for. He lifted his arms and placed his interlocked fingers behind his head, walking casually besides the stiff general. He decided to take the bait and bite. "You don't trust me as a professor."
Immediately, Naruto could feel the hostility from his students come out in waves when he said those words. All of their disbelief and taut hostility honed in on James Ironwood, the prodigy that became general and headmaster in his early twenties. Ironwood stilled, and the group came to a halt. General Ironwood turned slowly and gazed calmly on the blond.
"I'm not sure where or how you came to that conclusion, but yes, I don't believe you are qualified. I've heard and read of you, but I'm not sure what was going through that idealistic fool's head to think making someone the age of a third year Huntsman-in-training titled and positioned as a professor."
Naruto crossed his arms and looked up at the headmaster of Atlas Academy. There was no doubt that the man felt slighted that Ozpin had not come to the campus, but that was not reason enough for this kind of response to happen. At least, that was the impression that Naruto had of the man. And yet...ah, maybe that was the issue. Only seventeen, but a professor of the most prestigious academy in the world, boasting only the best Huntsman the world had to offer. And not only was he a professor at that established academy, but he was the combat instructor, possibly the most vital position a professor could fill.
"It's odd that you mention that, headmaster and general of Atlas." Ironwood's lip curled as he huffed. The irony was not lost on him.
"Those aren't the same. My position is meant for strategy and safety of our realm. Your position affects the future of Huntsman that are under your vision." Naruto wasn't even sure how to start with that argument. One maintained the stability of millions of lives. The other nurtured growth for hundreds to help protect the millions. In a way, they were equal, yet at the same time, completely unequal. It would be an extended conversation that would probably conclude with no winners.
"I see," Naruto said, deciding to cut the issue at the stem. "Well, this is quite a welcome, Mr. James Ironwood. I must say, I expected something a bit more after reading about how collected you were, but it seems that much of it was due to pride and the rest...hot air. Perhaps you should use your Semblance more often to maintain your composure in check." Ironwood flinched.
"How do you - "
"Take me to the fourth year combat class here." Naruto didn't shift his eyes away from Ironwood's, keeping them locked on. There was no room for discussion in his mind. "I could let my students show you what they are capable of, to let them show you that they are completely promising and still the best that the world has to offer. However, that wouldn't be enough to convince you, would it? So instead, I'll show you what I'm capable of."
"...Very well. We're right in front of it."
The door behind Irnowood hissed as it slid open quickly, revealing a wide entry point and a large combat room within. Naruto was able to peek inside and see hundreds of students sitting on the bleacher in an elevated viewing area. Similar to Beacon's combat room, there was multiple stages for students to spar, but there seemed to be more levels and sophisticated engineering in Atlas's. Naruto eyed the constructs floating in the air, as well as the way the floor shifted randomly. No doubt, they were meant to test students' reactions and adaptability in the battlefield. Well...they were in for a rude awakening.
He stepped passed Ironwood and looked at the empty stage and the hundreds of students looking directly at him. They must have seen the General first, so all of the attention had shifted to the door. When he entered, their focus had all shifted onto him. Good...that made things easier.
"Good morning," he said in a clear tone that echoed through the entire room. He coughed into his hand, then grinned mischievously. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, professor for the Combat Class at Beacon Academy. I've been given permission by your headmaster and general to give you my liberal take of kicking your ass all at once, dattebayo! Come at me with your Semblances and with the intent to kill!"
Raven laughed hysterically when Naruto finished. The shocked looks on the Atlesian students were too good to not burn into memory. The way they gawked and took offense to his first words to introduce himself was perfect.
"I'm going to strangle that man one day," Glynda said supremely calmly beside her. The mortified, and yet somehow murderous, expression that dipped into her eyes only added fuel to the fire. Raven couldn't help herself and doubled over, cracking up and holding her stomach as she guffawed, cackling like an idiot. Now that was an entrance. Absolute confidence with an absolute statement, and the absolute strength to back it up. The last part, the students had no clue about, but she knew. The rest of his students knew.
"Those students are about to get destroyed," Icar said good-naturedly, a bright smile on his lips.
"Don't say it like that! At least make it sound like they have a chance," Crystal said. "They're all fighting him at once, so maybe they'll land a hit."
"Unlikely," Keith commented. Crystal shrugged, her hair bouncing off her shoulder.
"I said I wanted to make it sound like they had a chance, not that they do."
Ironwood turned around and faced each of the students, a bewildered expression plastered on his face. "You all seem to have the upmost confidence that over a hundred fourth year students at a prestigious Academy are not capable of victory, but also not even landing a single hit on your overconfident professor."
Glynda stepped forward. "James Ironwood," she spoke with no hesitation. "Do you know who I am?" Ironwood stood tall and nodded.
"Glynda Goodwitch, fourth year. Had a fantastic showing in the last Vytal Festival. Undoubtedly one of the strongest contestants, despite the fact you were a second year at the time. By now, I'm sure you'd be able to win most of the battles on your own. You'd probably give most professional Huntsman a run for their money in single combat."
"That makes this easy to put into perspective, then. Naruto makes me look like a child. You've practically doomed your students to the most one-sided sparring match they'll ever participate in. One you orchestrated and have front seats to." She walked by the man coldly. "Enjoy."
Raven followed her immediately after, the last bits of her laughing fit escaping through her lips. "Oh man, this is going to be so fun."
After each of the students had passed, Ironwood walked through the door with a skeptical, yet bewildered face. The door closed.
The students were no longer the center of attention. Raven looked at the center of the room and saw Naruto on one of the stages in the center of the room. He probably jumped down there, leaping over every student in his trajectory. Now, he was standing there in his white coat with his hands in his pockets, as if goading the entirety of the graduating class of a Huntsman Academy was as simple as eating ramen for him.
"What are you doing?" she heard the instructor of the class ask. She didn't even notice him; the presence he had was miniscule when Naruto completely stole away the spotlight. The man next to him was tall in Atlesian gear, donning a long white coat, with white pants and boots.
"I'm giving the lesson for the day. Feel free to take a break for now." The instructor whipped his head to Ironwood, who gave a slow nod. Almost reluctantly, as if his mind was catching up to what was actually happening, the instructor withdrew to the stands in a robotic manner. Naruto grinned widely, hands on his hips.
Suddenly, Raven felt nostalgic. Wasn't it just like this on her first day at Beacon?
"Haha, I remember this scene exactly," Icar said, laughing freely.
"Not fond of that memory," Violet muttered. Icar slung an arm over the muscular girl's shoulder. "Do you mind getting off?"
"Sure, once the students get all up in arms and jump out of their seats. Then I'll get off."
Just like Icar predicted, a few students were already standing, seething and preparing to take the initiative. Naruto's words stopped them in their tracks.
"Last chance, General. Are you sure you want this?"
All eyes went to the headmaster. Ironwood slowly swept the room, meeting every students' eyes. They were glimmering with confusion, anger, and slighted pride. He nodded to Naruto. "It would be a good lesson."
"Ah yes," Naruto said, amused. "But for who? Surely you'd want to curb my pride, but perhaps it is yours that needs to be checked."
"That's enough!" A female student dashed forward and rushing Naruto from the stands, exploding from her seat and flying across towards Naruto in the blink of an eye. She was in front of him, swinging her axe, the deadly edge hardly inches from the crown of his head.
And then she wasn't there. Two sounds, one directly after the other, echoed in delayed succession. The first was something akin to an explosion, one that could be heard when an object broke the sound barrier. The second came from the left side of the room and was much quieter than the booming echo than came prior to it, but it was still audible. The entire student body looked to the left and saw the girl that was only a few inches from slashing at Naruto's Aura downed and knocked out. Her body flickered with her red Aura, and then it cracked and dissipated. The girl's face was covered in her tussled hair, and her body remained limp. The axe clattered to the ground as it slipped from her unconscious hands.
Naruto still had his hands in the coat's pockets. Raven had barely seen him move, but there had been an afterimage and she was sure she would've been able to react to his counter. He had struck the girl out of the air with a roundhouse kick, striking the offender on her right side directly on the ribs. The force had thrown her out so quickly that she had been thrown against the wall faster than she had rushed Naruto.
But a single kick to break a Huntsman's Aura? If it was her on her first day, she'd understand. But a fourth year's trained Aura, broken through with one strike was a bit much to comprehend.
A slow, lazy steam of Aura rose around Naruto. It was golden, like flames, escaping his body and streaming from side to side. If the students were shocked before, they were now experiencing something otherwordly and it showed crystal clear on their faces.
"Come. I am the combat instructor for today's lesson."
The entire class stood and entered the stage, charging at the blond with their Semblances and weapons at the ready.
"Has he been going easy on me?" Raven wondered aloud.
"He's been going easy on all of us," Glynda clarified. "If he wanted to, he could beat all six of us if he put in the effort. He just hasn't been because it wasn't within his best interests to do so."
Naruto hadn't moved from his position in the very center of the room. Although they couldn't see him directly, the ring of students surrounding him made it child's play to pinpoint his current location. That, paired with the fact that students were flying away from where he was standing, made the task simple. Every single student that took a hit from Naruto was out of commission after that single strike. Even if they weren't unconscious, the fact their Aura had been completely depleted made it unsafe for them to reenter the fray. Even if they could, however, the fact that Naruto had so thoroughly ousted them from the ring with one blow dealt immense mental damage.
A student flew high in the air, careening from a blow Naruto must have given him. Nearly five seconds passed before he finally crashed into one of the seats in the stands, not even able to reorient himself in time due to the debilitating damage he had been dealt.
"I want to fight him," Raven said, a wide grin forming.
"So do we all," Crystal said. She placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "But we'll have our chance."
Naruto smiled freely. It had been a long time since he'd felt this rush. The thrill of battle. It was singing in his blood and making his mind clear. Everything moved with purpose, and he was standing in the midst of his own purpose.
To teach, to fight, and to protect.
He was teaching the new blood of Huntsman that would soon be assigned to the fields at the end of the academic year.
He was, quite literally, fighting right now.
And he was protecting his pride and his name. Although he didn't care much for it, he did pride the results of his lectures and free-given knowledge.
He ducked under a wide swing that would have lopped off his head with ease if he were a normal person. Not even fast enough for it to cut off any stray lengths of hair, the sword flew harmlessly over his head with a sound of cold steel slicing through air. Spinning on the balls of his feet, Naruto saw the aggressor and lashed out with a kick straight to the chest where she was most open after her attack.
The female student didn't even have time to bring an arm to block the kick, taking the whole force of his kick through her insufficient armor around her top. She flew away, crashing into dozens of students and negatively effecting their footing.
The flurry of students came to a stall, and they were all now standing in a ring around him. They had become wary once they realized that blindly rushing in with superior numbers was not a viable strategy. He nodded in mild pleasure.
"It took you nearly forty students to realize that perhaps attacking me one at a time was not a proper tactic. Care to try again, fourth years?"
No one responded to him. The students surrounding him shifted carefully, rubbing the hilts of their weapons or twitching, thinking what their next action would be before bursting into action.
Suddenly, the landscape changed. The ground blew up into the air, and all of the students were forced to hold their stance lest they'd be thrown off their feet. Dozens of the rings were flying in the air, and all of the students then used that moment to charge at him simultaneously.
"Hm. An illusion...I really hate these, but also have an appreciation for them." He flared his Aura outward, projecting his energy violently. The students all disappeared, and he was no longer in the air, but now on the ground and still surrounded by the students still remaining. They had yet to approach him. "If you're going to make an illusion, making it not obvious is the best way to trap someone that can overpower it. Because when someone you face can do this..." He flared his Aura even more, nearly suffocating the entire room with the pressure. He turned around and faced the student with the illusion Semblance. "...what can you do?"
He stood there, lazily. Yet, the amount of Aura he exuded and continued to press out through the pores of his skin like a bursting sun, despite acting like it was nothing, was horrifying to every person there not aware of his capabilities. That amount of Aura was unheard of! No one should be capable of containing that much, or at least it was theoretically impossible...
"If you all won't approach me..." Naruto said, and the coherent students all fell back into a defensive stance. He leapt forward, blurring in front of a male and grabbing his face in his right hand. He spun quickly, using the student's body as a makeshift hammer that slammed into multiple students before throwing him into the air straight above. He shifted out of vision, leaving an afterimage once again as he appeared right above the student that was now in free fall. Flipping once in the air, Naruto swung and dropped an axe kick on the student's unprotected back.
A terrible crash echoed throughout the room, and then a silent landing of a terrifying predator. Naruto's eyes gleamed, basically glowing blue in the blue hue that the Atlas Academy used for their lights.
"...Then I'll come to you."
The students screamed as they ran at him, having no choice but to take the offensive. He grinned.
Good.
"This is a massacre..."
Ironwood wasn't sure what he was watching. What he was seeing defied logic and reason. The blond professor didn't have a speed Semblance, but he was zipping and blurring from vision, distorting the space he stood before and disorienting anybody trying to keep and eye on him. It was madness! Speed Semblances usually had a tell, and Naruto had none. Strength? No, it was nothing like that.
Did it have to do with the way he was able to flare his Aura? Ironwood cupped his chin, turning into his thoughts as he attempted to drown out the students' screams of terror and pain. At this point, he had almost come to accept that the blond was the real deal. But what was he? This was dangerous...he had no clue who this teenage professor was, what his Semblance was capable of, but his base abilities were off the charts.
"He has far too much Aura for a normal Huntsman," Ironwood said, thinking aloud without realizing it. "Perhaps that's his Semblance?"
"No, that's not it." Ironwood turned to Glynda. She was watching her professor with serious eyes, never letting her sight off the man. "His Semblance, according to him, was not really meant for combat until he harnessed an aspect of it as a concept that made him evolve. Everything you see is him at his strongest, because he has no offensive capabilities of his Semblance unless he conceptually changes it."
Ironwood nearly lost his jaw. "That's...that's not real. There has never been such a discovery. Semblances aren't concepts! They're manifestations of our souls!"
Glynda nodded. "That's what the schools teach us and that is what we have been told all our lives." She shook her head and crossed her arms. Ironwood noticed that immediately after she opened her eyes, she was able to zone in to where Naruto had reappeared after bursting into pure speed for a split second. She could follow him. He could as well, but there were times when he was lost and was only able to capture the blond in his sights for a moment. But from his perspective, it seemed as if she could completely see him.
"Forgive my opinion as a humble student, but to me, the very concept that Semblances are one-dimensional and meant to remain static is a conservative idea that should be done away with."
Ironwood frowned. "What do you mean?"
Glynda glanced at him with a precursory look before returning to the stage. "Take it as you will. But as a student from another Kingdom, I've yet to be impressed by any of the students from your Kingdom."
"What?!"
"I mean, look at them," Glynda said, looking into the ceiling as another pair of students were forced airborne. They flew before their flight was cut short by a blond sending them crashing straight into the hard ground.
"They don't work together with their Semblances." Naruto appeared behind an unsuspecting student and smashed into the side of his temple with a backfist before blurring from vision again.
"They seem to hardly have any real cohesion as teams despite being fourth years. There's hardly any teamwork. And the way they separate due to fear, letting their base instincts take over rather than their rational, trained mind lead them shows that they haven't seen anything worthwhile in their four years here."
Ironwood swallowed his pride and decided to listen instead of rebuke. He was clearly in the wrong, and the way the female student spoke with so much confidence, as if her word was law, dictated that he listen.
"And you have?" Somehow, those words made her smile slightly. She seemed amused.
"We were introduced to a monster in the guise of a professor."
He looked down at the stage, and there, standing in the middle of hundreds of students almost all unconscious or out for the count, was Naruto. The professor, standing comfortably as if he had just finished his stretches and was now lightly breathing. A dribble of sweat went down his lifted cheeks due to his face-splitting smile. Out of context, it was a beautiful smile. He smiled with his whole heart, his entire soul and spirit.
But to the students still able to fight and clenching their weapons and activating their Semblances, that smile was the work of the devil. That smile spoke volumes of what kind of person they were fighting, and it terrified them. The professor from Beacon loved fighting. He loved fighting with his entire spirit, throwing himself into a brawl against the entire student body. Perhaps it was to teach a lesson initially, but then he got so drawn into the fight that he started smiling halfway.
And that smile frightened the students. They, who were already afraid and considering how best to approach the situation, lost their morale and mental fortitude as his grin became more innocent. It was ironic the way his actions were vicious and so violent, and yet his smile was practically pure.
"I'd be impressed if any Huntsman could actually beat him," Glynda said. "He's a once in a millennia genius. I'm considered a genius, but he's the sun if I were a candle."
Ironwood looked down from his vantage. All of his students were defeated. He turned his head away, clenching his fists tightly. He was wrong. So very wrong. He had thought himself special, and had hypocritically thought none capable of taking a responsibility as great as he in the same age bracket. Ironically, the very person he insulted was possibly one of the only individuals that could not only understand him, but also outshone him.
"Fight me!"
The general opened his eyes and saw the black-haired first year girl from Beacon standing on the ground floor. Her sword was drawn already, and her coat was thrown off. The sound of palm slapping against forehead cracked.
"That idiot." Glynda said, yet still smiling softly. The four others beside her laughed, or in the case of the most reticent one, Keith Cold, managed to crack a smile at the absurdity of the situation. "Well, that's what happens when you have two idiots that love battle."
Ironwood frowned. "She's not scared of him?"
"Scared?" she said, her eyebrow raising. The very idea seemed implausible to her. "No, Raven is not scared of our professor. In fact, his little display of skill may have just made her far more hungry to fight him. She's a singularly goal-driven person that strives for strength, and Naruto is an idiot that means to do well that loves to fight. They're the perfect pair of idiots."
"Glynda is usually the one that makes sure nothing gets out of hand when it comes to the professor," Icar explained. Somehow, things were starting to click for Ironwood. It made sense now why Naruto was made into the combat instructor. His previous hostility and sense of superiority slipped off of him like water as he came to realization that Naruto was simply a prodigal fighter than loved to fight. And who was a better teacher than one that loved their subject.
"Come!" Naruto said, falling into a stance. His smile grew wider, matching Raven's hungry smile for battle.
As one, they both moved. Ironwood realized that they were leaving afterimages faster than what Naruto was moving earlier. That meant...the girl was possibly just as strong as his fourth years in a matter of single combat. That was quite the sobering thought.
Perhaps a drink was not the worst action for tonight.
But Ironwood sat entranced, watching the professor and student duke it out the ground. It was as if they were trapped in a dance, gracefully taking over the entire battlefield. Everywhere was their zone for combat, taking their fight to the walls, the ceiling, even the air. The girl showed so much mastery over her body and what it was capable of, it nearly slipped his mind that she was still a first year.
And then, it suddenly ended. A slight slip up, and Raven was struck once, blasting her against the wall nearest the entrance. The spectators all turned and looked to Raven.
"You alright there?" Glynda asked.
Raven huffed, clearly conscious. She stuck her sword to the ground between her legs. She was sitting on the ground, her back arched and hair over her eyes.
"I'm fantastic," Raven said, donning a huge smile splitting her cheeks that reached her eyes.
Unsurprisingly, the medical center for the school was overrun and the doctors and medical experts were forced to work overtime. A few of the nurses gave Ironwood a harsh glare once they had heard that he had given the visiting professor the 'go-ahead' for combat against the students. It didn't matter that every student that eventually came to terms with being welcomed to the real world had told the nurse that the professor had defeated them. Well, it didn't until every single student said that they were there for the same reason. Then the tune started to change.
After all, the monstrous professor that had sent over one hundred and thirty students to the medical center in a matter of minutes was sitting beside one of his own student. The girl, Raven, was sitting in her own medical bed with bandages wrapped around her chest and stomach. And yet, there was a shit-eating grin plastered on her face, a stark contrast from the looks of fear, uncertainty, and rarely awe, that came from the rest of the Atlesian students.
"We should do that again sometime. Just like that," the doctors heard her say. "You've never went that hard against me before."
"Sure. I'll always be here to challenge you."
What on Remnant...what a bunch of monsters...
The two were clearly not meant for a physical checkup at the medical ward. There was something wrong with their heads.
"Make sure not to forget us next time," the blonde female student had said. The rest of the visiting students from Beacon hummed or vocalized their agreement.
Never mind just the two of them. All of them were insane.
Chapter End.
A/N: Sorry, got distracted by GME and stocks. This took longer as a result. Ended up writing 6k words in one sitting to finish it and just went with the flow. Thank you for reading and please leave a review!